Eric Cantor Urges NY to Change Charter School Funding System

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor touted his federal bill for expanding funding for charter-school buildings on Monday while attacking the New York state system, theNew York Post reported.

During a visit to the Bronx Charter School of Excellence, he said that new charter schools are eligible for state funds only when the city can’t find space for them in public buildings and they have to lease or buy from the private marketplace.

But the Bronx school, which posts test scores well above other schools in the area and has a long student waiting list, is not eligible for funding from the state to pay for the private building that its facility is housed in.

"Schools like this located in private locations where they have to pay for the lease or purchase of this site is something we have to address," said Cantor, a Virginia Republican.

Cantor called on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to amend the system.

According to the Post, the state does not hand out facility funding to 128 charters, with around 40 percent of them in the city, which serve more than 30,000 students.

Cantor is backed by charter school operators who believe that the education of their students is being hurt by the underfunding.

"If you’re a school in private space, you are getting no help in your building, and your per-pupil funding will be diminished over time," Northeast Charter Schools Network director Bill Phillips said.
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